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Three worker health wins for a successful return to the office

  • min read
    • There's no hope of returning to 'business as usual' anytime soon – Europe's economy is not forecast to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2022. And the pandemic's economic impact has affected countries as unevenly as their recovery prospects. Wherever you are, government health policy plays a critical role in the national recovery and how and when businesses can open their doors. All businesses face hard decisions on how to protect employee health best. If you're in the market for innovative options, here are three ideas to consider. Clearing the office air Advice in many countries says building managers should consider installing plexiglass between workstations and in front of high traffic areas like counters. Dr. Niket Sonpal, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at New York's Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, points out it's not easy to create optimal working conditions. Space is also an issue. "There are a lot of bottlenecks when it comes to entering a corporate building. When you get to the front desk, you have to scan in or show ID, so social distancing gets diminished." Even when circumstances are not ideal, there's a lot businesses can do. Organizations who own their building could upgrade the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to hospital-grade standards. High-efficiency filters and Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) disinfection can limit virus spread, although it's challenging to add UVGI to an existing system. Air filtering can be highly effective with the right type of filter. High-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) air filters can capture over 99 percent of virus particles. These filters, used in labs and industrial clean rooms, need higher air pressure than typical commercial systems. Using the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) scale to measure filter effectiveness, trade bodies like the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommend air filters with a MERV 13 rating or higher. The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends some less costly steps to thwart coronavirus spread. But in its November 2020 report, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control notes many countries recommend building owners run their HVAC systems continuously, including evenings and weekends. Reduced working hours suit businesses and staff If your business is facing having to let some staff go, make sure you've considered all the options first – for your company's good and the wellbeing of your staff. German businesses have been encouraged to reduce workers' hours rather than making them redundant, with the government making up 60 percent of their pay for their lost hours. People are not forced onto welfare, and employers can avoid expensive, time-consuming hiring when they restart operations. Olaf Scholz, Germany's Financial Minister and Vice-Chancellor, described the scheme, known as Kurzabeit, as "Germany's greatest economic and socio-political act." While most countries don't have this kind of state support available, businesses could still consider whether they can keep employees on the payroll but reduce their hours. On top of not having to re-hire when business picks up, Employees in challenging, salaried jobs on average wish they had the option to work fewer hours. Reduced working hours are also linked with higher productivity and improved employee psychological wellbeing. Educate carefully around vaccines and testing As vaccine distribution rolls out globally, WHO and national health organizations like the US's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decide who goes first. According to Dr. Sonpal, "A vaccine doesn't mean that we're in the clear because we don't know for how long it's going to be effective." Organizations may be able to sponsor COVID-19 vaccination clinics, like some sponsor flu vaccination clinics. Sonpal warns, "When people get the vaccine, they need to be educated that this doesn't mean you can run around without a mask. You're not protected until you have a concentration of antibodies and their protective properties have kicked in. It's going to have to be well planned and carefully crafted for every corporate structure that's going to do this." Sonpal is not keen on using tests to determine whether someone should be allowed back to work. "The problem with tests is that it's all dependent upon risks, exposures and time. It's very pricey and not accurate. Tests are useful to determine who's positive. However, if you're negative, that doesn't necessarily mean that you weren't exposed and are not incubating. Continuous testing doesn't make sense." Finding the best of both worlds Sonpal thinks bringing workers back requires a hybrid model with people working in the office and remotely. In the building, take temperatures and have strict screening in which workers are asked to verify they don't have any symptoms, haven't been exposed to anybody with symptoms and haven't traveled. He goes on to say, "Prudence is key. 2020 has shown people can work remotely. To bring people back may seem like a good idea to get the gears of industry moving, but it could also cause more damage to the business." Be conservative and remain vigilant, he advises. Scale things back and accept that for now, we still don't have all the answers.
ATTACHMENT Dglobal cybersecurity priorities

COVID-19 has changed global cybersecurity. What must nations do now?

  • min read
    • During the pandemic, lockdowns and 'shelter in place' orders around the world have done much good. They've not only saved lives, they've shown us our cities without pollution and let businesses realize employees working from home can be more business benefit than business challenge. I spoke about the growing cyberthreat landscape and what we must do about it as part of a high-level leaders discussion on international cybersecurity during the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2020. During the pandemic, cybercriminals used new-found time to hone their skills and test out new methods. We saw a sharp rise in cybercrime of all kinds, from malware to advanced persistent threats (APT.) New hacking groups came on the scene, and with them, new kinds of attacks. New attacks and actors unmasked Here's just a sample of the expansion of cybercrime our researchers detected since the coronavirus pandemic came into our lives. This year we've seen unique malicious file detection rise 20 to 25 percent a day. Most threats, like malware, are relatively easy to deal with. But when what we're seeing is a rise in more professional cybercrime gangs, that's a different story. Kaspersky researchers are now monitoring more than 200 cybercrime gangs who've been launching hyper-targeted attacks against targets such as banks and governments. We've also seen more 'juniors' entering cybercrime. While they're easy to stop now, many will graduate from hacker kindergarten and join the pros. With the increasing use of the internet of things, the number of points where cybercriminals can attack has grown exponentially. We know they're willing and able. Take, for example, one of the most successful global attacks, the 2016 Mirai malware attack on domain name system provider Dyn. It took down hundreds of news websites around the world. How should nations respond to the new threat landscape? The cybersecurity impact of the pandemic has two parts. First, people are at greater risk of cyber-intrusion thanks to working from home and spending more time online. Second, there are more cybercriminals, and they've become better at what they do. Meanwhile, the digital economy has been growing fast. Many businesses decided to use the breathing space and necessity of the pandemic to digitalize new parts of their business. So we're at a place and time when organizations and their customers need to feel confident in these new ways of buying and delivering services. Building that confidence will help economies thrive. So how do we get there? I've got three priorities. Leaders discuss international cybersecurity in the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2020 1. Secure technology by design We can make technologies much more difficult and expensive to compromise, but they must be designed that way from the start. We have operating systems in devices already on the market that are so secure we had to devise a new way of talking about them – so we call this cyber-immunity. The chances of an attack on these systems succeeding means the cost to the criminal of a successful cyberattack is higher than the damage caused. To make critical infrastructure safer, we could deploy cyber-immune technologies across the network. The time to do it is now. 2. Enforcing cybersecurity law on an international level International cooperation is crucial for hunting down cybercriminals, but it looks as though the world isn't going in a 'cooperation' direction – it's becoming more fragmented. We need a space in cybersecurity where nations can cooperate safely, without geopolitical fractures getting in the way. 3. High-level cooperation requires high-level cybersecurity education As well as needing to overcome our differences, international cooperation against cybercrime will require 'cyber diplomats' to stay continually informed about the changing threat landscape. Good news for those imagining a boring slide talk in a dark basement – cybersecurity education keeps pace with innovation and developments in learning science. For example, learning through immersive gamified simulations like Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation (KIPS) is popular and effective. While the world recovers from the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must recognize much has changed, not least in cyberthreats. We need a new era of international cooperation to hunt cybercriminals. We need to make sure 'cyber diplomats' (those who develop and enforce national and international policy against cybercrime) fully understand the threats. As professional cybercrime gangs hone their skills, I predict we'll see cyberattacks grow at every level, harming business and governments. Thankfully, technology keeps evolving, and no one is powerless. Adopting cyber-immune systems will help nations keep the lights, water and internet running at times of crisis and beyond.
B2B sales digital transformation

In B2B sales, there’s a secret to nailing digital transformation

  • min read
    • Digital transformation (also called digitalization) means deep and wide change to technology use in all areas of a business, including sales. Every organization had to face this critical reality during lockdown. Organizational change experts McKinsey & Company's recent survey of over 3,600 businesses in B2B sales showed they thought the COVID-19 crisis had roughly doubled the importance of remote selling. 90 percent had either moved or were moving entirely to remote sales. Corporate culture and mindsets must also shift if this change is to work. It's a big ask in a small timeframe. So, how? Strategy for transformation in little time Each company treads its own path, but good digital transformation strategies have a few things in common. They clearly define the goal and high-level processes around it. They show understanding of what each team does, recognizing how their daily work will change. They have milestones along the way and show how things will change when each is reached. Under lockdown, businesses faced losing the personal touch. Employees couldn't meet customers or partners to build a relationship or negotiate face-to-face. The need to take sales online was acute. Familiar for B2C, it was now a challenge for B2B. But we also know there are many potential benefits. To name just a few, customer expectations of the sales process are changing: Some prefer not to meet with vendors, and many want to do their own research. Analyzing digitalized sales data means we can make more evidence-informed improvements to what we do. In 2020, my team at Kaspersky planned to increase our use of digital tools in selling smoothly. COVID-19 forced us to implement our framework in the first few months. We kicked off a system of transformations. By the start of April, we were running a successful, worldwide pilot, communicating with enterprise customers and partners using social media. It meant we could fast organize remote PoCs (Proofs of Concept) leading to contracts for thousands of licenses and the odd one-day sale. Change how you sell, change the culture Digital transformation also means changing your company culture, like how people communicate or manage processes. How they adapt to change influences how the sales ecosystem develops. Starting a big project gets more challenging when your team is in a surprise new setting, as happened with the rapid global shift to working from home. To support sales managers in a digital environment, give clear guidance on how they should use their new options. I'll give you an example. As part of our program to go digital, my team began a campaign to give our regional home-based sales teams new skills for digital selling and social networking. We showed how the skills and know-how they used in person worked just as well for their 'new normal.' We united the team by showcasing everyone's efforts. The result? Sales went up. Understand your customers are facing the same change We knew our partners and customers were going through rapid digital transformation too. We wanted to make sure the fast transition didn't become 'scary' for them, associated with risks and the unknown. The COVID-19 pandemic meant digital transformation became inevitable, but they could take comfort in having choices. To make sure transformation was a success, our team worked with other departments, like HR, IT and Communications, to provide managers and partners with insights about how to work remotely with customers. They needed to be able to build bridges and trust to make sure they were giving customers the right advice. No matter the tools you use, in the real world or online, it's professionalism and expertise that seal the deal. The past six months have shown digital transformation is a must. Before, businesses had some discretion over the speed of change. Now, circumstances have made it urgent. Together, the efforts of companies, their partners and customers to embrace the 'new normal' can make the buying and selling business-to-business work better for all.
Cybersecurity for home working in a hurry

Boost cybersecurity for remote working teams with system hardening

  • min read
    • COVID-19 has forced people around the world to work from home. For IT managers, in all industries and sizes of organization, there's more security risks to deal with. Why? Outside of the workplace, with on-premises tech teams on-hand when things go wrong, there's a whole host of threats that extenuate for employees working from home. Remote working heightens cyber-risks With no boss or co-workers looming over colleagues, there's more temptation to do personal things on a work device. Like shopping, letting your kids use your corporate laptop for homework, or succumbing to clickbait from untrusted websites. Right now, we're seeing a rise in phishing attacks related to COVID-19, falsely promising 'urgent health advice.' Outside the office, there's a higher risk your employees may unwittingly unleash a cyberattack. It could happen by doing something as simple as updating a free application like a PDF reader; many free downloads are riddled with vulnerabilities – opportunities for hackers to force access to your machine. If corporate devices aren't patched properly, it increases the chances those hackers will cause havoc. But now the majority of endpoint devices are remote and not on high speed corporate networks, patching is increasingly difficult. As the COVID-19 lockdown continues, updates will fall behind the release of new versions, making devices more vulnerable so it crucial to use endpoint solution layers to your advantage. If you haven't already, invest in training your homeworking employees to become more aware of cyber-risks. Aside from education, system hardening can help you minimize remote working attacks. What is system hardening? Imagine this: Your employee has a child who's been given a USB stick from their school with homework. The school doesn't have the best cybersecurity, and there's malware on it. Once that's on your colleague's work device, it can be compromised. But by disabling particular devices from accessing your USB ports, you eliminate that risk. This is an example of system hardening by tightening up access to your devices. So what else can you do? Like this story, it's simple: start with the basics. Layers are critical to your cybersecurity defenses First and foremost, if you don't have endpoint security protection – security solutions, like anti-malware that helps protect computers from cyberattacks – get it on all devices across your IT network. Many businesses buy endpoint protection just for blocking malware, but there are other layers within the software to protect your devices. Use all the security features, or layers, to your advantage. Firstly, use features which lets you limit or block specific applications you don't trust. Next, add a web control layer that blocks particular websites or their categories, which could include social media (unless that's part of your job), ecommerce or adult websites. The anti-malware layer should be your last defense against cyberattacks: Build the layers from the bottom up so hackers have more hurdles to jump before they get here. Harden first, invest in new tech next I work with IT managers in enterprises. About three in four of the people I speak to aren't using the full features of their endpoint product. The issues they're concerned about, like ransomware attacks, could be prevented with system hardening, yet there's a huge push to move onto next-gen technologies which defend by predicting, detecting and actively respond to cyber-threats. While these solutions are critical for the future of cybersecurity, before investing in more advanced tech, get the basics right first. If you don't, when you launch new solutions, you'll spend most of your IT team's time fixing smaller issues, like cleaning up malware, that could've been sorted through system hardening. Need next-level protection? If you have skilled IT security experts in your team, or you're handing sensitive customer data, you'll need more than just endpoint security. Consider upgrading to solutions like Kaspersky's EDR which offers response and forensic capabilities in the event of a cyberattack. It's simple: with system hardening, you're making each device as resilient to a cyberattack as it can be. With multiple layers of security in place, your IT team will have more time to focus on critical issues and keep the systems running smooth.
remote working cat laptop cybersecurity training homeworkers

Now we’re all working from home, we need to become more cybersecurity aware

  • min read
    • COVID-19 has triggered a worldwide work-from-home situation for pretty much everyone that can do it in 2020. Although the virus is impacting nearly every aspect of our lives, there may be a silver lining: remote working can benefit businesses and the planet. Remote working has been steadily growing in popularity over the last few years, and for good reasons. A Stanford University study found that employees were, on average, 13 percent more productive at home as opposed to in the office. And there are operational benefits too. Organizations with flexible work-from-home schedules tend to spend less on running large offices or scale down their office space. Throw in the fact that you're sparing the planet your employees' commute (dolphins returning to Venice canals is an extreme but excellent example), and it's a no-brainer. I'm not advocating a constant work-from-home situation – innovation thrives with face time with others – but if COVID-19 teaches us anything, it's that remote working could benefit business and the planet. Remote working increases cybersecurity risks Remote working is a massive change in the way people work, and if handled without preparation, there are some serious cybersecurity risks. Most will be down to the way your employees work. A 2019 report by Kaspersky found that 72 percent of employees in smaller businesses store documents that have personally identifiable data.  And in a 2019 report on the cost of cyber-breaches, 52 percent of enterprises reported that breaches happen after employees' inappropriate IT use. Changing behavior is your biggest cybersecurity challenge Employees feel removed from the corporate gaze when they're at home, which can aid productivity. But it also means they may not be as conscious of following security best practices, and IT staff aren't on hand to give quick-fire advice. Nine times out of ten, your employees will work using a corporate device (if you've provided it) but they may use it for personal stuff, like online shopping. Hackers are smart; they anticipate these changes and are always seeking new ways to exploit your business. With so many people at home 24/7 and shopping online, we see a big spike in online phishing attacks. Hackers are embedding traps by setting up fake sites emulating big-name online supermarkets. We see an increase in situation-sensitive phishing attacks, like COVID-19 advice emails from hackers pretending to be healthcare organizations. Once users click on these, especially if they're connected to your corporate VPN, hackers can get access to your network, which could place your entire corporate data at risk. Everyone working from home concurrently also throws up new challenges for how IT teams can best support users. Usually, in an office, an employee might go to the IT team and say, "My computer is running slow, can you help?" The IT support desk fixes the issue promptly, and then all is well. When they're at home, they may just live with it, particularly when IT managers are overloaded with new requests from novice homeworkers. What happens when there's an immediate issue? Many IT teams don't have the experience or tools to investigate remote cyberattacks and cure them instantly. So the focus right now is to increase our efforts to stop these attacks before they happen.  But how? Teach your teams to become cyber-aware Training is crucial to help your teams to become cyber-aware. Plan a program of learning, with a mix of online learning, classroom (virtual or real-world) and regular advice by email. You could test whether people can spot a phishing attack by setting up a fake phishing email.  To start, try this free 30-minute adaptive learning course by Kaspersky and Area9 Lyceum for those who are new to remote working to help them work safely from home with lessons about choosing strong passwords, the importance of endpoint protection and regular software updates. Employees need to know what's acceptable to do on corporate devices, rather than simply what they shouldn't do. With weekly calls or online chats, you can talk to users about what they're seeing, advise them on best practice and answer their questions. This gets them comfortable talking to the experts, so if something happens, you can respond quicker. Build a culture of trust Unfortunately, in many larger organizations, there isn't a culture of transparency between employees and IT on cyber matters. When people make mistakes, they're either unaware of what they've done or are scared they'll lose their job, so they may not formally report a data breach incident that ends up damaging the company. You need to build a culture of trust and transparency between employees and the IT team. Open communication is critical. Advise against casual browsing on work devices Casual browsing may lead to compromised network security, so make sure employees know this and encourage them to do personal things – like shopping, social media or reading news – on their own devices. Patch employees' machines If your employees' devices aren't completely patched and up-to-date, the chances increase of hackers finding a vulnerability in your system. Remotely access their machine to patch or help them do it themselves over the phone. Even better, install an automated patching solution. Ask people to change default passwords on home routers Most home routers use a default password, which hackers can find and then get into the back end of the home network. Few people bother to change it because it's a somewhat tricky process, but it will drastically improve employees' cyber-defenses.  Show them how they can do it. Cybersecurity in the age of remote working After COVID-19 restrictions are over, and organizations see how well their staff have handled working from home, it will change the way we work forever. I think employers or governments are likely to implement a one-day-a-week remote working policy. With that in mind, you need to know the cyber-risks of remote working, how you can prepare your teams, and encourage a culture of collaboration and transparency. If you're thinking about extending remote working beyond COVID-19, get the right cybersecurity training program and products in place to keep your teams and business safe.
homeworking mental health

Supporting your home-working team’s mental health: Advice from psychologists

  • min read
    • That's how Time magazine describes working life in 2020, after measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. How will this unexpected shift from office life, and the pandemic's upheaval and uncertainty, impact employees? I asked two world-leading experts in workplace mental health what managers can do now to build their team wellbeing. Set the standard for mental health at work We know we need physical health and safety to protect everyone. The need to protect mental health at work is less well understood. Leading expert and media commentator, Dr. Joti Samra, R.Psych., wants to change that. She helped establish the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, a world-first of its kind. It's now informing the development of an international ISO standard. She's now founder and CEO of MyWorkplaceHealth, a consultancy helping businesses make their workplace more psychologically healthy. The National Standard identifies 13 factors that contribute to a psychologically safe work environment, including civility, respect and clear leadership. Samra believes we now need to increase efforts to maintain these standards. She says, "Our research tells us when we enhance these, it's win-win. Customer ratings, staff retention and the bottom line all improve." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx3e073AEx8&amp=&t=24s Dr. Joti Samra's free webinar, Enhancing Psychological Health, Wellness and Resilience in the Era of COVID-19 "Every business in the world is changing because of COVID-19. We must evaluate what we're doing now – what's going well, and be honest about the pain points. We need to plan for resilience." Good mental health starts with good people management People managers are the nexus of success, in Samra's view. "Every business leader in the world is in a tricky position right now. We carry great weight because of our responsibility for others. Your direct manager is important in balancing your baseline stress. We must give leaders the skills to self-regulate, understand their stress triggers and stay calm. "Unpredictable events and things out of our control distress many people. Coronavirus is 'check' on all counts. To manage anxiety, you need to build more certainty. I'm writing one, three, six, 12 and 18-month plans and financials to give more predictability. It's keeping me sane as a CEO and it resonates with my corporate clients. "I've run my start-up for a year. We were just getting into a flow. Now we've had to change for new priorities, plus business as usual. I'm re-thinking what's critical and what can take a backseat. I break it into details week to week, or sometimes day to day. This means we can move quickly as things change." Value trust and openness Trust is at the center of the shift to remote work. Kristina Barger is an expert in remote team management and psychological wellbeing. She's worked with start-ups in London, New York and South Korea. She warns trust is fragile. It can easily break when teams are spread out and in times of crisis. "If you disagree with a co-worker in your office, you can blow over a problem by taking coffee together. But when you don't see people, it's easier to misconstrue something. If problems aren't addressed, they compound." Give more praise and rewards "Uncertainty makes deadlines harder for people to hit," says Barger. "Setting up routine and reward is important. People need a positive boost. Cut both your and your team's tasks into smaller chunks, check it off and reward yourself. It could be just, saying thank you to a co-worker, or a break to call a friend." Samra believes changing times may mean managers need to be change tack. "Let's be more forgiving. Acknowledge no one will be at their best right now and create a culture of trust. Let people work out their schedule around their new life. This helps build loyalty and work-life balance." Communicate more often and more deeply Samra believes people managers need to know how to communicate effectively. "Have 1-2-1s with direct reports more often to understand their stress points. It may be money, children or caring for an elderly relative. Adapt expectations to each person's needs. I'm asking my managers to have more contact to find out who's OK and who's struggling, so we can give them early support." Barger also recommends talking more. "We can't separate what's happening in the outside world with what's going on in our teams. Replace the 'water cooler' moment by making time to connect. Start meetings with light chit-chat or a check-in." Ry Morgan, Founder of workplace mental health platform Unmind, likens mental health to dental hygiene. We should all do something about it each day. In the same way you brush your teeth regularly, check in with yourself and then your team – at work and home. Have more virtual face time Samra also recommends more virtual face time. "We're having more video meetings. It takes more time than a call, but the human connection helps normalize this surreal time. Social connection helps us not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity." Barger says it's good for leaders to show vulnerability. It should be OK to express emotion at work. "It's more authentic if you open up, like saying, 'It's tough for me too. My kids are driving me crazy!'" Share freely, and personalize it Information overload is affecting everyone, particularly people managers. Samra asks us to personalize communication. "Connect individually and ask what they need. It shouldn't be 'one size fits all.'" Digital sharing tools can help. Barger and her peers launched the Remote Leadership Support Group, a Slack community for managers to get credible advice and support from vetted experts. Samra has also used Slack for her start-up's internal comms. "It's optional. People can use it if they need it." She advises, "Share information proactively with your teams. If you offer employee benefits like counseling or health at work schemes, make sure everyone knows how to access them. There are also free resources that can help." The blog for MyWorkplaceHealth is an impressive trove of articles on meeting the challenges of the pandemic and mental health at work issues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZuB-kUJD_A&feature=emb_title Tips on managing coronavirus anxiety at work, one of many free resources from MyWorkplaceHealth Watch for the warning signs of deteriorating mental health Mental health can decline slowly over time. "You don't usually notice it's happening to you until you're far into it. We need to see subtle shifts –missed deadlines, late to calls, or rambling or confusing emails," says Barger. According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety at work cost the global economy 1 trillion US dollars in lost productivity. For working adults in the UK, about 15 percent have current mental health issues. During the pandemic, these numbers could grow. Barger explains, "Things that are good for us – like money, predictability and socializing – have been taken away or reduced." How to start that difficult conversation about mental health Barger suggests a tiered approach. "Lay the groundwork by normalizing the change we're all going through in group emails and calls. Explain the resources available and that you're there for them. Next, is individual check-ins. "Managers need to set the tone by being compassionate and non-judgmental. When you say 'come to me with a problem,' it might not happen straight away. This all takes work. There can be denial. Explain to the team that to connect, you'll schedule a 'virtual coffee,' so people don't feel singled out." She advises paying attention to cultural differences and personality preferences. "Reach out to those who are more emotionally reserved, but without pressure. You could ask peers to check in with each other if they have a good relationship." Reduce time-consuming negative news While we adjust to new ways of working, there's potential for burnout from long hours. With nothing to break up the day, things can become overwhelming, on top of the news. Barger recommends, "If you notice the news getting you down, monitor your access. Research in Israel showed consuming news more than twice a day had negative mental health consequences." How to create structure in changing times In the unexpected shift to the home office, many of us have new co-workers in partners, housemates, pets and children. Samra believes strengths and weaknesses in personal relationships will be exaggerated. "It's a dangerous time for those in controlling or abusive relationships, but even a 'so-so' relationship can become strained. We can give our employees structure, so they have an escape from their personal lives. Let's encourage people to get up, get showered, get dressed – video helps with this – then shut the door." If you have concerns about a colleague's safety in a relationship, don't ignore them. Find out what local violence-prevention agencies advise. The UK's Department for Health has guidance for managers on recognizing the signs of domestic abuse, and what to do about it. Barger says the route to productivity is different for each person. Regular, scheduled breaks are essential to decompress and refocus. "Someone in a crowded house-share could work for an hour then have something relaxing scheduled, like a call or coffee with a housemate. If it's not scheduled, it won't happen. Structure needs discipline. If you dive into a Netflix binge during a work day, it won't feel rewarding later." She believes relaxation is also important to recharge. "Meditation is often ideal, but if you're feeling extremely anxious, it may not be so effective. A few minutes of exercise can help. Try it every day for a week and see how it makes you feel." How can remote working make business better? Despite the challenges today, Barger believes there are business wins. "People will need to improve their communication skills. It could help improve planning and structure. The commute and office environment had given us structure, but now we need to make it for ourselves." Samra notes that physical separation can also unite people on common ground. "As a planet, we've never had a more shared experience. It's brought my team together by sharing more about our lives." "We live in unprecedented times" has become an overnight cliché in the pandemic world. But we need to adapt how we work to meet the challenges ahead. And that starts with looking after ourselves and our people.
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Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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